Author: James Mooney

In our discussion of form, we said that a film’s form included both narrative and stylistic elements. In this session we are going to focus on the narrative elements. Humans are ‘the storytelling animal’ – it is through stories that we make sense of ourselves and the world around us. When we speak about films […]

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In The Importance of Film Form we considered the formal elements at the filmmaker’s command, and the the overall pattern of these elements that make up the film’s formal system. This post focuses on the elements of film style – mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound – providing a few examples of how Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) utilises […]

Form and Content In What is Film Studies?, I stated that films have form, and distinguished between content (the subject of a film) and form (how the content is expressed). A useful way to clarify the distinction is to consider the difference between a film in which a robbery is taking place and surveillance footage of an actual robbery. When people […]

Filmosophy returns for a fourth season of original and thought-provoking films. This season focuses on the distinction between appearance and reality. Each film provides a unique perspective on this philosophical problem, using the notions of sight and blindness as powerful metaphors. Questions addressed include: What is the ultimate nature of reality? How do we gain […]

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This part-time evening course at The University of Edinburgh will begin by taking a look at Plato’s Allegory of the cave through the glazzballs of Alex in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. There are still some places available, so if you would like to spend the next 10 weeks watching and thinking seriously about film please follow the […]

What can we know? Does God exist? Do I have free will? How should I act? Does life have meaning? This course offers an introduction to the main areas of philosophy through discussion of some of the most interesting questions in each field. Friday mornings (10-12) from 16 January 2015. For more information, and to […]

An introduction to philosophy through the medium of film. Using a diverse range of films, we will explore some of the most interesting issues in philosophy. In doing so, we will learn what film can contribute to philosophy, and how philosophy can contribute to our enjoyment and understanding of film. For more information, and to […]